Battle Ground Academy

I have been in the teaching profession for years and have several children myself who have been in both public and private schools. My child who attended BGA was extremely well prepared for college, and just as important, learned to value tradition, experienced genuine caring on both the academic and personal level, and had the opportunity to truly participate and fully enjoy the high school experience. She was always happy there and feels that the sense of community she feels will stay with her forever. Speaking as a teacher, I feel that the education was rigorous and challenging. I know many of the teachers there and know that they are top flight in their areas of expertise and extremely devoted to their students. While BGA is not a school that caters to students with severe learning disabilities, I know for a fact that they work personally with students who struggle and do all that they can to foster success in every student.
--Submitted by a parent

They discriminate against children with learning disabilities. My child has ADHD and they have refused to work with him to achieve a greater learning experience. If your child isn t perfectly well-mannered, the faculty pinpoints them as being a problem child, then the grace goes completely out the window. I m very disappointed. We initially went there thinking it was better for our child since he has ADHD to be in a smaller classroom, and are now seriously regretting it. The experience has damaged his confidence and motivation to try harder. We re hoping Grassland can fix what BGA broke .
--Submitted by a parent

My child has absolutely loved the Lower School. The teachers are wonderful, the atmosphere is loving and nurturing, and the Lower School Head is awesome! My child was never this challenged at Oak Hill.
--Submitted by a parent

The middle school performed far below our expectations. BGA needs some serious revamping. Poor leadership, average teachers, bratty kids...Trust me, your money would be better spent elsewhere!
--Submitted by a parent

As the husband of an alum and parent of three students, I am very pleased with our experience with BGA. I believe that our children will be more than prepared for college and beyond thanks to BGA. They are well-rounded with various interests from athletics to arts to theater and BGA is able to provide them opportunities in all three.
--Submitted by a parent

BGA is a great school with faculty and staff that genuinely care about the students. The small environment makes it easy for the teachers to know all the students. We came from public school and know that we made the right decision for our child
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent of a recent graduate of BGA, I would like to say that as far as academics go BGA is one of the best in the state. With that being said, I would also like to state that education is more than academics in a classroom. BGA is one of the worse when it comes to social environment and diversity. They cater to the rich or I should say the people with the most money, even though those people don't always have the good of the school at heart. If you want your child to be lacking in the vital areas of communication and people skills it is a great place to go but if you are looking for the total package, I would look at other privates and publics.
--Submitted by a parent

I grew up in Middle Tennessee and attended public (Williamson County) and private. My children have attended 2 local private schools including BGA. Because of my vast exposure to the schools and systems in the area I feel that my opinion is based upon experience and not emotion. BGA has one of the most challenging academic programs while offering competitive athletic and liberal arts teams. For those considering public versus private in Middle Tennessee you will hear praises of Brentwood/Williamson County. Keep in mind that Williamson County is just the best of the worst (Tennessee ranks 47th in the nation in education).
--Submitted by a parent

BGA is a great school. It is the best school I have ever been to.
--Submitted by a student

20 years ago, the school was one of the best in the country. Now it's simply an average private school in all areas (athletics, academics, 'family enviroment,' school pride, etc). The school has recently been obsessed with growth (enlarging the campus and enrollment) which is an obvious attempt to mimic the other local privates. It's a shame that the administration feels like they must be the same as BA, MBA, EHS, etc. They really had character and a solid and legit niche when they tried to sell themselves to the blue collar families of Franklin rather than pander across three counties in order to strengthen the bottom line. I enjoyed my years at the Academy, but not because of the school. That was due to the friends I made while there, which you can do for free at FHS. I regret that I wasted my parents' money for seven years.
--Submitted by a student